Of Darkness and Light
by DragonofDoom3
Summary: When Ed and Al finally use the Philosopher's Stone to try and get their body back, their is an accident and it causes Al to disappear. And that is only the beginning of Ed's troubles, as he is thrown into a battle that will decide the fate of earth.
1. More than an Accident

Hey Everyone! This is to just let you know that this is my first FMA fanfic, so flames are ok, but be kind people! Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the story!

Synopsis: They finally found it; The Philosopher's Stone. But then what happens when that stone creates a giant malfunction, and causes Al to disappear completely. But that is only the beginning of Ed's troubles as he is thrown into a giant battle that will determine the fate of his world. And then a mysterious alchemist begins kidnapping other alchemists...

The room suddenly filled with a white sound. A body was blasted from the center of the room, slamming into the wall. A small 'klink' was heard as a small, blood red stone slipped between the fingers of the boy and fell to the ground, echoing throughout the room.

After that, the only sound that could be heard was that of blood dripping to the ground, dripping like water that falls softly from a roof after a long period of rain. The boy clutched his chest, and ripped off the blood-soaked shirt that clung to his body.

Seared upon his chest was the mark of the sign that he had carried on his back throughout part of his life; a cross, with a snake entwined around it.

The boy tried to get up, pulling himself up on an overturned table. He got up to a kneeling position, blood pouring from his chest; splattered all over his face. He called out through the dust and destruction, _'Al…Alphonse…Al where are you?"_

He waited for a reply, but all that could be heard was his own labored breathing. He tried to stand up properly but fell to the floor, holding himself up with two shaking arms.

_"This…this…it can't…not again! Why…?"_

Suddenly he saw something give off a small glint in the dimly lit room. He moved his head to the right and saw the object that was giving off the light. His pupils shrunk in horror at what he saw.

It was half of a walnut-sized piece of metal, bearing a sign written in what at first glance would appear to be red ink. The boy dragged himself over to it, his legs refusing to react to the signals from his brain; or rather, his brain was too muddled to give any proper signals. He collapsed about an inch away from it, having lost too much blood to go any further. He stretched his arm, picking up the small piece of metal; fondling it through his fingers.

_"Al…Al…"_

"He's been through an extremely traumatic time; he'll need to stay here for about as long as it takes before he properly recovers."

"Of course, Ed is like my own grandson, I'll see to it that he rests and takes a break from all this 'alchemy' business."

"Ed…Ed? Why won't you talk to me?"

A soft light filtered through the curtains of his room, warming his face, forcing him to open his eyes, forcing him back into the world in which he had so far come to hate. Ed pushed himself up into a sitting position, even though it sent waves of pain racketing through his body.

_"Though this pain is nothing compared to what I've done…"_

It had been a two weeks since he had been taken to Granny Pinako's house, brought back to his hometown for a year of 'rest and recuperation'. Ed smiled cynically at this thought, thinking, _"Rest and recuperation? The only thing I wish to 'recuperate' is my brother, and that is impossible." _

Suddenly the door creaked open and in came a girl with long, golden hair placed in a loose ponytail, wearing a black tank top and some loose jeans. She carried a plate filled with eggs, bacon, slightly burned toast, and a bottle of milk.

She set it on the bedside table, clearing away a few books that had been piled on top of one another carelessly, the pages yellowed and frayed. She sat down on the end of his bed, and giving a soft smile said, "Hey Ed, you're up. That's good, are you feeling better today?"

Ed looked out the window, and after a pause, said, "Yeah, I guess I do."

_Liar. You're only saying it so that Winry won't get worried._

Winry smiled even bigger and said happily, "That's great; the doctor said that you could start walking about now, if you feel that you're up to it. Also, Granny thought you could actually eat a real meal today, so she made you some eggs."

Ed nodded, still staring out the window. He picked up his words carefully, and said, "Well…I'll try walking tomorrow. I'm just…kinda…had a rough night." He said truthfully, focusing his eyes now on the bottle of milk that was seated on the table next to him.

Winry's smile faded. "Oh…had another one of those…dreams…," she said, fiddling with a piece of her hair.

Ed closed his eyes briefly before answering, "Yeah,"

There was a period of silence between them. In his mind's eye, Ed could picture fragments of last night's nightmare. It had involved the night that he and Al had tried to resurrect their mother, but it also had something else in it too. Something from the experience that he had encountered about a month ago, the experience that had killed Al.

Winry gave a small sigh and stood up, walking towards the door. "I need to go see some patients, but if you need anything, just yell, 'kay?"

Ed nodded, his golden eyes moving over to the spot where Winry had just sat.

She left the room, but just a split-second later; she popped her head back in, and added,

"Don't forget to drink your milk Ed,"

Across the country, a boy with dark-blond hair and honey-colored eyes woke up.


	2. A Bottle of Milk

Yay, chapter 2! Well, I'll try to get chapters up on weekends and holidays, and if I have time during the weekday, (if 7th grade science homework allows…-'')

Anyhow, I can't believe I got two reviews already! Thanks so much you guys!

PyscoNeko15: Ya, it is really sad, this story is pretty angsty, but you'll see how things go as the chapters get put up!

Prides Tears: Yup, this is my first FMA fic, but not my first ever fic. I have written another one, but I didn't really like it so much…hehe. Anyhow, I'm glad that you like this story, I really enjoy writing it!

----

Winry gave one last turn to the screw that she was working on and set the wrench down. Wiping her brow, she turned to the elderly man who was holding up his right pant leg, revealing shiny auto mail that formed his calf and foot. Winry smiled as he lowered the pant leg and beamed at her.

"Thank you so much again Miss Winry, I was helping my grandsons build their new club house, and I guess the strain took its toll on ol' steel-leg here." Winry laughed, and said, "Well, you shouldn't over-exert yourself Mr. Wayatt."

The old man stared out the window of the living room, watching the late autumn breeze make the leaves of the large oak tree near the front of the house ripple and dance. "I know, but it makes me feel good to spend quality time with ma' family, y'know, be a good grandfather while I can."

Winry packed away her materials and said, "You shouldn't talk that way Mr. Wayatt, you have plenty of time left."

Mr. Wayatt just smiled softly and put his right shoe on, and then grabbing the old walking cane that he normally used to get around. "Heh, ye never know Miss Winry, especially at my age…I'm just happy that I still have some energy to romp around with the kids."

He pulled out some money out of a leather wallet, and after handing it to Winry he added, "Well, I should get back, or the missus will get worried…she's making her famous beef fondue tonight. You're more than invited to come if ya want, she'd be so happy to see ya."

Winry laughed and said, "Thanks so much for the offer Mr. Wayatt, but I need to stay home…I'm looking after a friend right now, and I need to stay so I can check up on him."

Mr. Wayatt simply shrugged and added with a glint in his eye, "Well, I'll tell one of the kids to drop off some of the missus' apple pie for the both of ya. Apple pie and a warm fire is the best medicine one can have on a cold autumn day. Anyhow, thanks again Winry," he said, putting on his cloak and hat.

Winry opened the door and said, "Don't mention it Mr. Wayatt," She watched as the old man walked out the door, and started down the road that led away from the Rockbell's house. Suddenly he stopped, and said, "You're friend, he's the Edward boy, right?"

Winry paused for a moment before saying, "Yes, he is."

Then old man just smiled again, as if he knew something that Winry didn't. He tipped his hat to her and then continued down his way on the old dirt path. Winry closed the door and turned around, staring across the hallway to the door where Ed's room lay.

He still hadn't come out of there, not since the day that Col. Mustang had brought him to their house, explaining of the accident that had occurred.

Winry remembered crying when she heard the news, she remembered running over to where Ed sat in his wheelchair, his eyes lost and distant, as if he barely knew where he was. She remembered hugging him and sobbing into his shirt, but he hadn't even reacted. He didn't even seem to acknowledge that she existed.

Winry sank to the floor, burying her head in her arms. She held back the tears; she had done enough crying for that past few weeks to last her a lifetime. Al, her childhood friend, gone. But what saddened her most was Edward. He hadn't even shed a tear since the day he came, he had just seemed to be in permanent shock.

And those dreams, those horrible nightmares that he had almost every night, the sounds of pain that she could hear coming from inside that room, sounds of anguish, dying from the inside.

He seemed to be lost inside his own world now, as if fighting an internal battle inside of him. He rarely spoke; the conversation between him and her that morning had been the most she had managed to get out of him. A small victory, if she could call it that.

She could only imagine what he was going through right now. She knew that his family had never been perfect, his father leaving them, his mother then dying…it had always been Edward and Alphonse Elric against the world. Now it was just him, alone.

But why didn't he cry?

She looked back up to the door, forcing herself to think positively. "At least he's starting to react to things around him…he actually woke himself up this morning. I should go and check on him."

She stood up, and started walking cautiously to his room. She paused for a minute, her hand resting on the handle of the door, before entering, debating with herself whether to go inside or not. She hated to see him this way, this tired, listless version of Ed. It almost scared her to look at him. His eyes were now a dead copper, not the holding the golden brilliance of before.

And the worst part is that he seemed to be worsening.

_"No Winry, what are you thinking? He's just been through a lot; it's natural for him to be…"_

Suddenly another voice snickered in her mind.

_"Stop lying to yourself Winry, he's slowly dying from the inside. And there's nothing you can do about it."_

Winry shook her head, forcing herself to think straight. "He will get better; I promise I will help him! He's my best friend; I can't give up on him now."

With that newly created confidence, she opened the door.

Ed was still in bed, his blond hair tied in a loose ponytail, his expression unreadable as his eyes followed the text of a book. Winry wondered if he was even reading, his eyes seemed to stay on that one page forever.

"Hey…Ed…I was just coming in to see how you're doing…" She said softly. Ed looked up at her for about a second before answering in barely a whisper, "I'm fine." Then his eyes returned to the page.

The room was very dimly lit, so Winry went over to the curtains and pulled them back, letting a shower of light illuminate the room. "I have no idea how you can read in this darkness Ed, you must be a bat or something," she said, half-smiling. From his bed Winry could hear Ed mumble something like, "It's ok…"

She turned to look at him again, not sure of what to say. "Um…" she thought, fiddling with her hair again. "Oh ya, Mr. Wayatt came today, y'know, the old man who used to own the grocery store down by in the main square, to have his leg checked up; you remember how he had an auto mail leg too? Uh, anyhow, he said that he'd be sending one of Mrs. Wayatt's pies over…you remember how much we loved them, right?"

Ed nodded slightly, his eyes still not leaving the page.

Winry felt like slapping him. What is wrong with him, why won't he talk, why does he just sit there all day doing nothing, barely eating, just reading that stupid book?

That's when she saw the unfinished milk bottle.

"_GODDAMMIT ED!"_ she yelled.

It was as if she had snapped. With an almost inhuman-like strength, she grabbed the milk bottle, then Ed, and shoved the bottle in his mouth. Ignoring his protests, she didn't let go until finally Ed shoved her away furiously with his auto-mail arm.

The finished milk bottle fell to the floor next to her. She clutched her pants, tears forming in her eyes, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR WINRY?" yelled an enraged Ed, wiping away the milk from his mouth with the back of his hand.

Suddenly Winry began laughing. _"He said…my name…at last. He reacted to something."_

"Winry, why are you…" Ed started, dumbfounded.

Winry stood up, wiping away her tears. "I…it's nothing…oh Ed…" she said, still laughing.

Ed couldn't help but let a small smile break through, like a small shutter of light in a dark field of rain. He hated seeing Winry cry; it made him feel horrible, like he had committed one of the greatest crimes in the world. But, when she smiled…it lit up her face, making it even lovelier than it already was.

He wanted to say sorry, he knew that Winry was worried about him, but he couldn't seem to get the words out straight. Lately his mind had been elsewhere, in a world where only he had the key to enter.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. Winry looked happily in its direction, and said, "That must be one of Mr. Wayatt's grandchildren with the pie, just wait a sec here Ed while I go pick it up."

Ed watched as Winry ran over to the doorbell, thinking, _"It's not like I'm going anywhere…at least for a while."_

----

In a dark ally, a boy of about 14 stumbled about blindly. Rain was pouring down mercilessly, soaking him completely.

But the rain was the least of his worries. Inside his head, questions and sudden flashes filled his mind, voices and pictures of people jumbled around in an incoherent fashion.

_"Who…who am I? Why can't I remember who I am? What am I doing here, where is…where is…"_

The boy knew that there was someone he should be looking for, someone he had to find. But he couldn't figure out who it was he needed to see. Suddenly he tripped over something and fell on the cold, hard ground.

He lay there for about a second, his hands still grasping the only object which he could remember ever having; a piece of metal that appeared to have been cut in half, a symbol written in blood on it.


	3. Too Pure

…I spent up 'till 11:00 pm writing this, so you better like it. This is the longest chapter I've ever written in the history of my fan fiction writing. SO YOU GUYS BETTER BE GRATEFUL! glares

Well, on a happier note…

PyscoNeko15: Hm…depends on what you call 'getting better'. He looks like he's getting better, but I can't guarantee that it's gonna stay like that. Alright, 'nuff said. Heehee :D

WildfireDreams: Thanks, I hope you like this next chapter!

KamauFox: Again thanks! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

…It's people like you who review that make a better place.

Alright, on with the story!

----

The boy lay quivering on the ground, his hand still clasping the strange piece of metal. He sobbed silently onto the concrete, his head hurting as bad as if he had hit it with a 5-ton-rock. Flashes of people that he didn't know quickly went through is head, along with random sentences that made no sense to him.

"In alchemy, they say the human is made from the mind, the flesh and the soul! How can a person survive with just his soul and a suit of armor?"

"Al, come help me plant the rose bushes in the back, will you?"

"Al…I promise I'll get your body back."

The boy shuddered involuntarily as the last voice rang through his mind. That voice…it sounded all too familiar, yet so unfamiliar at the same time. He racked his brains for some sort of remembrance, but all that he could pull out was seeing a young boy lying in a pool of blood, his right arm and his left leg severed off. He couldn't see his face, no matter how hard he tried to remember. Just red liquid everywhere.

Suddenly a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see a beautiful young woman with jet-black hair and scarlet eyes staring at him, wearing a long black dress with a cloak, a scarf covering her neck.

She smiled, showing a mouth of perfectly set teeth, but for some reason that smile sent a shiver of fear run down through the boy's spine. The woman crouched down to level with him while he sat up in a more dignified position. Then she spoke in barely above a whisper.

"I know who you are, and I can give you the answers that you seek."

She smiled again, this time an almost warm smile. She then said in a louder voice, "You poor boy, lost in the rain like this, you must need a place to stay during this dreadful night. Come with me, my house is just down the street and I have an extra room, if you would like."

She started to walk away, while the boy stared at her, at a loss for words. _"I know who you are, and I can give you the answers that you seek."_ Her words rang loud and clear in his mind.

Still staring at her, he stood up, and clutching the metal talisman, followed her through the pouring rain, a sliver of hope in his heart.

----

Winry sat down on the edge of Ed's bed, two slices of fresh pie wrapped in napkins in her hands. She smiled cheerfully as she gave Ed his slice.

_"Oh, so _now_ you're cheerful and happy eh Winry? Just a minute ago you where drowning me with milk…I'll never understand you…"_

Ed snorted slightly as he downed half of his pie in about 3 bites; it was true, Mrs. Wayatt's pies where the best in Rizenpool. He then heard a whine as Den sat eagerly by his bed, his tail thumping hopefully for a slice of pie.

Ed stared at the dog suspiciously for a second, but after a second whine and those eyes that dogs do that make you feel incredibly guilty at not giving them a slice of pie, Ed gave in and gave Den the rest of his pie.

"Ed, you know you can't let Den have sugar, he'll bloat like a toad!" yelled Winry angrily.

Ed shrugged. "C'mon, one time isn't that bad, is it?"

Winry rolled her eyes and muttered something like, "…and they say the same thing about drugs…"

Ed gave Den a little pat as he licked the last few remaining crumbs of pie (time taken to it it: 0.19 seconds) and asked Winry, "Hey Winry, where's Granny Pinako?"

Winry finished swallowing her bite of pie and said, "She said that she had some urgent business to attend to outside of town…something about Farmer Shackter's daughter and her auto mail hand getting messed up. Apparently we're the closest auto mail mechanics around. She did come to say good-bye to you, but I don't think you noticed."

The last part Winry said slightly bitterly, and for a second Ed couldn't meet her face. "Ah…I must've been-"

"-reading, yeah." cut off Winry.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between them as Winry finished off the last of her pie. The soft _pit-pattering _of rain could be heard outside, signaling that a storm was most likely coming in.

Ed opened his mouth to say something, but instead of words a gasp of pain was emitted.

_"ARGH!"_

He clutched his chest and shut his eyes, pain swelling through his body.

"Ed, oh my god are you ok?" said Winry, rushing up to hold him up. Red began to stain the sheets.

"You're chest wound, it's starting to bleed again, I'm going to have to re-bandage it and call the doctor-"

"-No…don't!"

Winry paused for a second as she was beginning to un-tie Ed's bandages. The sound of his voice…it had a mixture of pain and warning, an adult's command yet with a hint of a child's plead in it.

"Please…I don't want…I'll fix it myself."

"D-don't want what Ed…Ed you need a doctor!"

"I said I'll do it myself."

Winry watched as Ed forced himself to sit up straight, and clapping both hands together, he placed them on his chest where blood was beginning to flow more freely.

A blue light seemed to appear, and then the bleeding altogether stopped. Ed panted slightly, and closed his eyes, leaning on the back of his bed.

Winry stared at him for a second before starting, "…How…?"

Ed smiled softly, almost amused at her bewilderment. "…I simply repaired the skin cells that had broken…nothing too major."

" 'Nothing too major', Ed that was a serious injury, you shouldn't try using alchemy to-"

"Did you see it?"

Winry stared at Ed confusingly. "See…what?"

Ed looked down at his now-bloody sheets. "…My injury."

"N-no, why do you ask?"

Ed sighed with a mixture of relief and exhaustion, saying, "Nothing, doesn't matter."

"Ed, tell me if there's something wrong…"

"I told you, it's nothing." He said tartly.

For a second Winry wavered there, her eyes filled with the same pain that was always there whenever Ed kept something from her. Ed avoided looking at her, the pain in her eyes was just too much for him to stand.

Then, Winry turned to the door, saying "I should change your sheets; they're covered in blood…"

Edward silently cursed himself for lashing out like that with Winry; after all she'd done for him he should be thankful.

"I'm sorry Winry, but I can't let you see it…at least not yet."

----

The wind and rain clashed in a furious combat, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Underneath the storm inside the basement of their house, a teen-age boy and a suit of armor finished the last of the giant transmutation circle. The boy gave one last look to the suit of armor and said, "Al, are you ready for this?"

The armor shook his head affirmatively. "Nii-san…I can't believe…"

"I know Al, but in just a few moments you're going to be a normal boy again." Ed smiled as he held the Philosopher's Stone in his hand, the blood-red stone that gave joy to sorrow, victory to defeat, life to death.

"Ready Al?" Ed asked again, looking at the suit of armor seriously. Al didn't respond, but rather lay down in the center of the circle, and with that gesture Ed positioned himself for the transmutation.

Ed concentrated on the stone in his hand, and what his final objective was. He could feel the power surging through his hand, surging into the transmutation circle; he could feel a light radiating from the circle…

Suddenly a giant explosion filled the room.

Ed opened his eyes in shock as he found himself in a white room, seemingly endless in proportions. Then out of nowhere, he saw a huge tree in front of him. From it, giant red fruits that resembled apples but too large to be them hung heavily from the branches. He walked over the tree, and saw some writing carved deeply into the wood.

His eyes widened in shock at what it said.

_"Those who take from the tree of knowledge will be condemned to HELL."_

Suddenly he felt an odd taste in his mouth; the taste of…apple? Then he felt a throbbing begin in his head, which seemed to increase in pain with each throb.

Ed sank to the ground, screaming in his head because of the pain, but not making a sound with his voice. He clutched his head, and gritted out painfully, "Make…it…stop…"

Then a child's laugh filled the room. It was a bubbly, sun-shiny laugh, but it made Ed sick to his stomach all the same. "I thought that you had been warned, but you keep coming back don't you, Ed?"

Ed turned around slowly, and saw the same child-like form that he had seen 4 years ago. Like a shadow, but pure white. The Truth, but in a different form.

"You play too much with fire, you get burned, isn't that right Ed?" said the child, as if it was a game to him. "You just don't seem to stop, do you, you just keeping pushing and pushing, pushing boundaries that lowly humans just shouldn't touch. Ah well, what's done is done…"

"You BASTARD, GIVE AL BACK!" Ed looked around furiously for the child, but he was nowhere in sight.

Suddenly he heard a voice behind him. "Well, how can I give back something that I don't even have?"

Ed turned around; the child was sitting up in the branches of the tree, throwing an apple from one hand to the other. "What do you mean, 'I don't have him,'?" said Ed confused.

"Well…technically I do have some of him, but not what you're looking for." said the boy, still playing with the apple.

"…looking for…?" echoed Ed, still staring up at the child.

"Edward, Edward, Edward, you really shouldn't have tried to transmute Al with the Philosopher's Stone, you should've just kept him as it was, he seemed just fine like that. I can't believe you didn't realize that the stone would reject him like that."

"I know that's what happened but what I don't understand is _why_."

"Of course you wouldn't, the answer is not in any of those pitiful books you pour over. In fact, it's not in anyone's book in the world. But I'll be willing to tell you, since it is so worthless there is no need for equivalent exchange. You see, the problem with Al is that he was too _pure_."

"Pure? And what the fuck do you mean by that?"

"I mean, that the stone was created by humans, right? It was really only meant as a thing for gain by the person who used it, I don't recall the real stone ever being used for the benefit of others. In other words, it's a corrupt item, its use can only be that of bloodshed.

Since you where going to use it for pure intentions, that going against everything that it meant, it backfired. Maybe if it had been another Philosopher's Stone, it wouldn't had mattered, but I guess you had to go and take the one that those homunculus's had made. Ah well, your punishment I guess."

"IF IT'S MY PUNISHMENT THEN WHY THE FUCK IS IT AL THAT HAD TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN TO HIM?" Ed bellowed out to the child, tears of anger beginning to form in his eyes.

Suddenly the child appeared right in front of him, barely a centimeter apart. "Because this is the ultimate punishment; having your brother pay for a crime that you committed. You're always dragging people into messes, and this is what happens Edward. You're a walking danger to people."

"YOU LIAR, I NEVER MEANT TO…MEANT TO…"

Suddenly the room was dark. Ed was left kneeling on the floor in a defeated position, trembling. "I never…meant for this…to happen…"

Suddenly, there was a dim light. Ed could make out the figure of a boy, about 14, walking in the distance. He instantly recognized it as Al.

"AL, AL, WAIT, IT'S ME, ED!" he yelled, trying to stand up, but his legs wouldn't pay attention. Al turned around, and waved for a second and continued walking. "AL, AL WAIT!"

"AL! ALPHONSE!"


	4. Edward's Request

WOOHOO, CHAPTER 4! Sorry it took so long, but I've been busy this week and well…y'know. Anyhow, thanks for waiting, I hope you like it!

WildfireDreams: Well, here ya go, chappie 4 served on a silver platter. Or whatever. Hope you like it!

PsycoNeko15: I know, it was sad, but I'm hoping to make things a tinch better for Ed. But just a tinch. I didn't say this story was going to be happy, did I?

fullmetal4eva: Please don't slam your head into a laptop, it deteriorates your reviewing capabilities. Haha, I'm glad you like it! We'll see what happens to Al as the story progresses, but for now I say, 'ONWARD, MEN!'

----

Suddenly a pair of golden eyes flew open.

Edward sat up quickly, knocking down a bunch of books at the end of his bed. He sat there, panting for a few seconds, his whole body trembling, cold sweat on his face.

_"It was all…just a dream…just…another dream…"_

He closed his eyes again, and forced himself to calm down. His auto mail limbs were aching in pain, almost as bad as the day he had the surgery. Ed grimaced slightly as he began to massage the area where skin and metal were forced together in an unnatural marriage near his shoulder. As he did so, he tried to put in order his turbulent thoughts.

The first thing he thought of was that tree he had seen in the room.

"Those will take from the tree of knowledge will be condemned to hell…I thought I learned that lesson a long time ago." Ed said bitterly to himself, his eyes narrowing slightly at the thought. Then he remembered Al.

He started trembling again, this time against his will. The room had seemed to get a lot colder, and the pain in his limbs had started up with a ferocity of a dragon.

_"Al…I'm so sorry…I had never intended this to happen…all I wanted was to get your body back, and fix that giant mistake that _I_ had made."_

A small realization crept through Ed. It had been mainly his idea to resurrect their mother; it had been his idea to play around with alchemy, it had been his idea to play _God_.

And Al…Al had just followed with him as he plundered on recklessly, followed him with a blind faith that they would bring back their mother. And when it had came to the time to pay the price for it all, it had been Al who paid the dearest.

_"You're always dragging people into messes Edward, and this is what happens. You're a walking danger to people."_

Had he been two years younger, Ed would've never agreed to the idea, never given in to saying that he was the cause of everyone's troubles. But now…he wasn't so sure.

"…It's true." Ed said, looking at his metallic hand, the proof of all the turmoil he had to go through. But he clasped it in a tight fist, as if a signal to fight against all the words the Truth had pushed against him, trying to make him give up, let go of everything he had ever tried to achieved, make him lose his grip on reality.

"But I won't let anyone else get hurt."

----

The small rays of the sun where beginning to creep out into the world, giving an almost unearthly glow to the world. Winry yawned and forced her eyes to open, finding herself in the living room of her house. She sat up, letting a large blanket fall off of her. She looked at the blanket oddly for a second, trying to remember exactly how she had gotten there to begin with.

_"Oh, right, I had stayed up to make sure that if Ed had any trouble I'd be awake to help him…guess I fell asleep at some point. But where did the blanket come from…"_

"Ed?"

Suddenly Winry jumped out of the sofa, and ran to Ed's room. She paused outside the door, and quickly knocked on it. "…Ed…? Are you up?"

No answer.

She grabbed the handle of the door, and pushed it open. The bad lay empty, bandages strewn on the floor. Winry backed out of the room, and ran throughout the house, yelling, "Ed, ED?"

Suddenly she stopped in one the kitchen. Her grandmother had a large collection of photos from their childhood, tacked up on a large bulletin board. She said it was so, "That there are good memories to look back on so that we can forget the bad." One of them had been of Alphonse, sitting by the large old oak tree, reading. But the area where the picture had been now lay empty.

Winry sank down into a chair, her eyes stinging slightly from holding back tears. She stared back at the empty space on the bulletin board, a small memory of that picture forming in the back of her head. It was funny, the day today looked almost exactly the same as it had did in that picture. A brisk, autumn morning, leaves scattered around like pieces of gold.

Winry stood up, and walked to the back door, opening it. She walked outside, and paused as she stared at the long, winding road that led up to the cemetery. Rubbing her arms as a chill breeze swept through the air, blowing her soft blonde hair, she started trudging up to the cemetery. She could hear quite distinctively the cold _crush, crush_ as she stood on dried leaves, and she silently hoped that Edward wouldn't get angry of her coming.

As she got closer, she could see a lone figure standing with his back to her. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but all that came out was a gasp.

_"Hohenheim?"_

No, it couldn't be. For one, Hohenheim was a person of large stature while this person…somewhat lacked it. And even though it was Hohenheim's clothes, they still hung loosely on Ed's body. But even so…this person was slightly taller than the old Edward that she knew. And his back managed to fill out at least three quarters of Hohenheim's long overcoat. His straw-colored hair was pulled in a ponytail centered around the middle of his head, and it wavered slightly as the wind gave another fierce gust, sending chills down Winry's back. She called out uncertainly, "Edward?"

He didn't answer, most likely because at that moment yet another gust of wind blew, drowning out her voice. She walked closer, rubbing her arms, mentally cursing herself for not bringing a sweater. "Hey, Ed?"

He still didn't answer. Winry stopped right behind him, and put her hand gently on his shoulder. Suddenly Ed flinched and whirled around. Winry pulled back her arm quickly, for a second afraid. He gazed at her for a while, the expression on his face undeterminable. "Winry…what are you doing here?" he asked. Winry looked at the ground unsure whether Ed was angry at her or not.

"Y…you weren't in the house when I got up, so I got a little worried…I just wanted to make sure that you were ok."

Ed's face softened, and he said quietly, "I'm…fine, don't worry about me so much Winry, otherwise that's all you'll ever do in life." He turned to the grave that he had been looking at before.

Winry stood beside him, and looked at the marble grave. Her eyes widened slightly at what she saw. It said in simple, gold lettering:

Alphonse Elric

On top of it was a stone replica of the helmet that was part of the suit of armor that had been Al. Underneath Al's name, there was the picture that had been taken from the bulletin board, Al's picture.

"The army had a 'memorial service' for Al a few days after…the accident… since there was no body. I couldn't make it because that day my wound started bleeding again and I was in the hospital again for 3 days. Beside, I know that Al would've wanted to be remembered here, in Resimbool, where he grew up. It's…the least I can do."

Ed's last words trembled slightly as he said them, and he grasped his hands into small fists. Winry looked at her childhood friend with a sense of sadness for him, and took his right and in hers. "It is what he would've wanted." She said softly. She noticed that left to the grave there was their mother's grave, Trisha Elric. Winry turned to face Edward "Ed…you made this… this morning, didn't you?"

Ed nodded slowly. Winry looked back at the grave, her eyes slowly going over the replica of Al's helmet. Another breeze blew through the empty graveyard, causing Winry to shudder. Ed, noticing this, took off his heavy coat and placed it around Winry's shoulders. Winry clutched the coat, thankful for it's warmth. It had an old, musty smell, mixed with Ed's smell. "…thanks." She said. Edward shook his head, and said, "You idiot, coming out without a coat on. You want to get sick? Besides, there's something I need to talk about with you, and I need you to be in optimal condition to help me with it."

He took one last look at the grave, and started down to the road back to the house. Winry followed him, wondering what it was he needed her help with. "It isn't about your auto mail, is it?" she asked as they approached the house.

"…partially." said Ed, opening the door.

They walked in to the living room, a welcome change of temperature from the cold outside. Winry sank into the sofa, while Ed sat on the chair opposite her.

He sighed softly, as if not knowing where to begin. "…Winry," he started, looking down at his hands. "I'm going back to Central ahead of schedule. I think that I've rested enough, and I need to take care of some things."

Winry stared at him, a mixture of feelings rising up to her throat. He…he couldn't be leaving again, not just yet. He wasn't properly rested, sure he was walking, but there was something…something still there. Besides, she didn't want him to leave her again, leave her wondering every day where he was, how he was doing, whether he was alive or not. However much she hated herself for thinking this, a small part of her was secretly happy when he came back, even though it had been a tragedy that had brought them back together.

"You can't go!"

Ed's eyes registered a mixture a shock. "What?" he said, looking at Winry.

"You can't go…at least not yet…you've barely been here a month! You're still not ready to go back!"

"Winry, I need to go back as soon as possible, I can't stay here as long as the military wants me to, besides, I'm feeling fine now."

"Then take me with you."

"What?"

Winry silently regretted those words. "I…take me with you. To Central. Please." She said, looking down at her hands which were clasped in her lap.

Edward looked at her with a strange look in his eyes that she had never seen there before.

"I can't do that." he said softly.

"But why not?" Winry said, trying to avoid Ed's golden eyes.

"Because…because I don't want you to get hurt. It's become really dangerous down in Central, and if I take you with me…it's a big chance that something's going to happen. And if anything ever happened to you…I would never forgive myself."

Winry sat in silent shock, her heart pounding. _I don't want you to get hurt._ Is it that Ed was actually worried about her?

"But…could you at least tell me what you are planning to do?"

Ed paused for a second before answering. "No."

"But why not?"

"Because if I told you, you'd be in a lot of danger. The reason Al and I never told you anything was because we were afraid that the more you knew, the more you'd get involved in all this…shit. I'm sorry, I just can't tell you."

Winry's eyes started to brim with tears. "You're going to do something reckless and crazy again, aren't you? Something that'll probably get you killed?"

Edward's eyes were full of guilt as he tried to answer. "Well…Winry…"

"Ed, what happens if you're auto mail gets messed up, and you're miles away from home? You need me to come with you so I'll be able to fix it."

Ed looked up at Winry, his eyes full of determination this time. "No. I told you this was too dangerous. But you're right, my auto mail will probably get broken. But that's why I need your help."

For a second, Winry felt like she was looking back into the eyes of the 11-year-old who had asked for auto mail 5 years ago. "With…what?"

"I want you to teach me how to repair my automail."

Winry blinked. "…What?" she said.

"You heard me, I want-"

"I know, I know, but Ed, it takes years to learn how to properly fix and create auto mail, and you barely keep up with maintenance as it is…"

"Two weeks."

"What, Ed, you're crazy!"

"Two weeks, teach me. Please Winry, I'm asking you."

Winry stood up, letting the coat slip off her shoulders. She bit her bottom lip as she tried to figure out how to handle Ed's request.

"Three weeks."

Ed stared at her, feeling a sudden admiration for Winry. He knew that he was asking a lot from her, but if he was going to carry out his task, he needed to know how to fix his own auto mail.

Winry started walking to the kitchen, but she stopped right in front of the door. Her face was hidden as she spoke. "But Ed, you must promise me one thing."

"Sure."

"When you're done with…whatever it is you're going to do…you must promise me that you're going to come back in one piece."

Edward widened his eyes for a second, but softened them as he answered. "Sure…equivalent exchange right?"

Winry nodded, and Edward could see that out of the corner of her eye a large, silver tear was forming. For a second he had a strong urge to wipe her tear away, hold her, assure her that he was going to come back, but he remained where he was. All that he could manage was a weak, "…thanks."

He could see a small smile form at the base of Winry's lips. She turned around, and said, "And sometimes I wonder how much easier my life would've been if I had never met you."

Edward opened his mouth, but shut it, unsure if what she meant was real or a joke. Winry simply smiled, and headed into the kitchen, saying, "I'm gonna see if Grandma left us any food, I'm starving."

There was silence for a moment, but then a loud yell could be heard. "HUH, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF THE PIE!"

Winry popped her head back inside the room, her face furious. "Edward Elric…" she said dangerously.

"I was hungry, I hadn't eaten properly for days!"

"BUT THAT WAS A WHOLE PIE!"

"…I said I was hungry."

_WHACK_

----

Two figures hidden in long cloaks met up in a dim alley. One of the figures ordered in a sharp tone, "Envy, what's the report?"

"The Fullmetal brat seems to have made a speedy recovery." said a high-pitched voice. "I didn't really expect him to be in bed as long as the military wanted."

"Hmph, that was to be expected, but that slightly puts our plans out of turn."

"I don't think it matters so much; Lust already has the Key."

Though it couldn't be seen by Envy, the other figure smirked underneath the cloak. "Very well, I guess this isn't going to matter at all. In fact, it's for the better. Good work Envy, just keep tailing him."

Envy shifted uncomfortably under his cloak, and said in a slightly worried tone, "But sir, I think the Fullmetal knows about the plan. He'll start coming after us sooner or later."

The other figure simply shrugged. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to put a stop to it."

"Just remember to be careful, Father will be furious if you mess anything up."

"Don't worry Envy, as long as I'm Fuhrer, there will be no trouble."

----

Ohhhhhhh cliffhanger! Sorta. Muahaha. Anyhow, please review and have a nice, safe day.


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